GULF SHORES, Alabama -- This week, AL.com begins highlighting cool shops at the beach. This ongoing series will feature the many unique mom-and-pop shops along Alabama's beaches. And what better place to start than a gnarly surf shop called Blonde John's Surf, Skate & Skim, located just across the street from Gulf Shores Public Beach.

Seen here are the numerous surfing and skateboarding trophies that McElroy and his team have earned from coast to coast. (Brian Kelly/bkelly@al.com)

Opened 12 years now, Blonde John's is owned by Johnny McElroy, an accomplished surfer in his own right. McElroy also organizes skimboard and
skateboard events here in Gulf Shores.

Recently, I visited the shop where I caught up with McElroy
at his giant showroom filled with surfboards, skateboards and photographs of
his epic life along the Alabama Gulf Coast. As it turns out, it's been a banner summer for Blonde John's.

"We ran out of surfboards just before the Fourth of July. I had to call and get some boards here for my customers," McElroy
said. "I've had the best summer since before the BP oil spill. People seem to be coming back to the beach
which is good for all the businesses down here in Alabama."

McElroy's secret for staying in business? Quality inventory. "We don't do low end products here," he said. "We get the best merchandise because we want people to come back."

What I thought was cool:

One of the coolest products in the showroom is the longboard skateboard. I'm pretty agile, so I gave one of these bad boys a spin in the parking lot at Gulf Shores Public Beach. I found this version of the skateboard friendlier than the traditional skateboard. And that's one of its key selling points.

"The coolest thing about the longboard is that we sell them to dads and all kinds of people," McElroy said. "It's a lot easier to use than a standard skateboard. I sell a lot of them."